UPDATE (12/27/15 11:06 a.m.):
Following the deaths of Bettie Jones and Quintonio LeGrier at the hands of the Chicago police department on Saturday, LeGrier's father spoke to the Chicago Sun Times about his son's death.
"F—, no, no, no. I thought he was lunging at me with the [baseball] bat," Quintonio LeGrier's father Antonio LeGrier reported hearing from the cop after his son was shot. "In my opinion, he knew he had messed up. It was senseless."
On the death of Jones, the police department had the following to say in their statement: "The 55-year-old female victim was accidentally struck and tragically killed. The department extends its deepest condolences to the victim's family and friends."
"An innocent lady got shot as well because the police were trigger happy," LeGrier's mother, Janet Cooksey, told WLS, an affiliate of CNN. Apparently, Jones, the downstairs neighbor, was asked to open the door to the police by LeGrier's father.
Although Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was unavailable for comment, his office released a statement on the situation.
"Anytime an officer uses force the public deserves answers, and regardless of the circumstances, we all grieve anytime there is a loss of life in our city. All evidence will be shared with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office for additional review in the days ahead," the statement reported.
See original story below.
The Chicago police department recently came under fire after released footage of an officer shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times prompted the U.S. Justice Department to open a civil rights investigation. Now, another incident has left a college student and a mother of five dead.
On Saturday morning, Northern Illinois University student Quintonio LeGrier’s father called police to report that the 19-year-old was acting erratically and wielding a baseball bat made of metal. According to neighbors and his family members, he had been making threats against his father, NBC Chicagoreports. The details of exactly what happened next remain unclear but after authorities arrived, LegGrier and neighbor Bettie Jones wound up dead.
According to witnesses, Jones opened up the door for police and was killed shortly after. Daughter Latesha Jones says she woke up after hearing three gun shots and saw her mother on the ground, the Chicago Sun-Timesreports. During a press conference held later that morning, Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy told reporters that “upon their arrival, they were confronted by a combative individual, resulting in an officer firing shots, fatally wounding two individuals." He went on to say that the situation is being investigated by the Independent Police Review Authority.
LeGrier’s mother Janet Cookery—who revealed that he was shot seven times perNew York Magazine—says he’d suffered from an undisclosed mental illness but was never violent. Jones’ family has also spoken out, saying they plan to sue. This story is still developing.
